Chicle, << CHIHK uhl or CHEEK lay, >> is a naturally occurring latex obtained from the chicle tree, also known as the sapodilla or sapota tree. The tree is common to certain forests of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. Chicle was once widely used to make chewing gum. But today, only a few “natural chewing gum” products contain chicle.
Workers known as chicleros tap chicle trees by using machetes to cut a herringbone pattern in the bark. The latex drains down the cuts overnight and collects in a cloth bag at the tree base. The milky latex is boiled until it is thick. It is then cooled and formed into blocks for export. Chicleros must allow a tree to heal for more than three years before re-tapping it.
Maya Indians began chewing chicle more than 1,000 years ago. In 1869, Thomas Adams, Sr., an American businessman, began manufacturing chewing gum using chicle. During the 1940’s, manufacturers began using synthetic substitutes as a base for chewing gum.
See also Chewing gum (History) ; Gum tree ; Sapodilla .
